1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to obtaining lightpath information for managing an optical network. More particularly, the present invention is directed to discovering and/or validating optical light paths.
2. Description of Background Art
An optical network commonly includes an external network management system having a management interface for managing a plurality of optical nodes. Referring to the exemplary prior art network of FIG. 1, an optical network 100 may comprise a plurality of optical nodes 110 coupled to each other by optical fiber spans 120, with each optical fiber span including at least one optical fiber (e.g., in some bi-directional networks each span has at least two fibers, one for each direction of communication). In a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical network, an optical service can be provided between two nodes 110 using an optical wavelength channel. A light path is commonly defined as a connection between two nodes in the network that is established by assigning a dedicated wavelength along each link of the path. A light path of a WDM optical network commonly utilizes the same wavelength channel throughout each link of its path, although in some cases the initial wavelength may be converted into a different wavelength along one of the nodes of the light path.
An element management system (EMS) 130 is used for high level administration of the optical network. EMS 130 may be communicatively coupled to each node via an Ethernet or other suitable data link 140.
In a conventional WDM optical network, part of the administrative function of EMS 130 is to provision the network to provide a desired service between a source node and a destination node. In order to fulfill this function, EMS 130 needs to know lightpaths capable of providing a desired service between two nodes. In many WDM optical networks, the individual nodes include one or more microprocessors for controlling the function of the node. The hardware and software complexity of a node may exacerbate the difficulty in determining a valid lightpath. Additionally, individual nodes may experience hardware or software upgrades, increasing the complexity of determining valid lightpaths.
The figures depict a preferred embodiment of the present invention for purposes of illustration only. One of skill in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods disclosed herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the claimed invention.